Orange Pi PC old OS image

[matrasa]

Hello! Sorry, I can't speak english well!

 

A year ago, I buy my Orange Pi PC, and download last image of Armbian, and it work's well. But yesterday, I update my system through apt-get, and notice that there be some kernel packages. There was packages, with "sunxi" or "sunx7" in his names, don't remember well.

 

After this, my Pi stop to working. No SSH, no image from HDMI too. I download new images from https://www.armbian.com/orange-pi-pc/ try both Bionic and Stretch. But both of them don't work.

 

There was an old image, Xenial with kernel 3.4. It works well, but my wifi adapter doesn't work with this kernel. But this adapter, worked with that, old image, that I download a year ago (December 2017). And I think, in that old image was kernel never than 3.4 but older than 4.14.

 

Where can I get that image?

[Igor]

23 minutes ago, matrasa said:

There was an old image, Xenial with kernel 3.4. It works well, but my wifi adapter doesn't work with this kernel. But this adapter, worked with that, old image, that I download a year ago (December 2017). And I think, in that old image was kernel never than 3.4 but older than 3.14.

If an upgrade fails you need to provide us serial console logs that we understand what is going on, where booting stops. This will help you and others.

 

23 minutes ago, matrasa said:

 try both Bionic and Stretch. But both of them don't work.

 

You should scroll down to the bottom, where you can find the one and only image with an old kernel. 

 

https://dl.armbian.com/orangepipc/Ubuntu_xenial_default_desktop.7z

 

It's an image with a desktop (which you can disable in armbian-config). Older than this, we don't support anymore.

We used to ship some external wireless drivers in the past, but since it was complicated to support, we don't do that anymore. You can try to compile them this way: https://docs.armbian.com/User-Guide_Advanced-Features/#how-to-build-a-wireless-driver

[matrasa]

I don't know where I can find that logs. I google a little, and they said that this logs a can get through UART interface. But I don't have UART->USB devices or COM ports on my Desktop PC. Sorry! There is no errors on screen too.

 

No, I don't need system with kernel, older than 3.4. I need new kernel. I download Armbian image on December 2017. That image has kernel newer than 3.4, and all works well (and my wifi interface). Maybe you have old buildings of OS image? Half of a year ago?

 

I also use dd, when write images to sd card. Maybe I need Etcher, for flashing new OS images? Old images, that I download before, works well after flashing with dd.

 

Maybe I can install that old distro with 3.4 kernel and install new kernel, not 4.14 but a little older?

[Igor]

5 minutes ago, matrasa said:

Maybe I can install that old distro with 3.4 kernel and install new kernel, not 4.14 but a little older?

Armbian with kernel 3.4.y and 4.14.y is identical. The only difference is kernel and below.
 

6 minutes ago, matrasa said:

I also use dd, when write images to sd card. Maybe I need Etcher

Why didn't you tell this before? If you don't follow our recommendation you are only wasting (my) time.

Here you need to start:
https://docs.armbian.com/User-Guide_Getting-Started/#prerequisites-for-new-users

[matrasa]

Try Etcher, but same result. And I said, that old image, with 3.4 kernel works well after flashing with dd.

[Igor]

16 minutes ago, matrasa said:

Try Etcher, but same result.

Now serial console logs on the problematic one. Alternative way: https://forum.armbian.com/topic/8293-apt-upgrade-bricked-tinkers-today/?do=findComment&comment=62642

 

[chwe]

19 minutes ago, Igor said:

Alternative way: https://forum.armbian.com/topic/8293-apt-upgrade-bricked-tinkers-today/?do=findComment&comment=62642

now, also part of the 'unofficial' UART tutorial...  written for all kind of serial access (for all kind of host systems,  Windows, Linux and even linked to OS-X) except... Silly circles..  

 ssh --> uart --> uart
  ^                |
  |________________|

 

 

[ag123]

just like to share my 2 cents as  i'm using 5.59 Debian stretch image on Orange Pi PC

if you have been using the 'old' images e.g. 3.x series, that is quite  different from stretch (i've not tried bionic) which uses 4.x kernels. the 4.x kernels are mainline linux kernels.

the old 3.4 kernels uses some of the binary blobs like FEX etc distributed by Allwinner et.al.  4.x kernels are mainline linux kernels and FEX is not there as FEX Is propriety and the binary blobs is close sourced. 4.x mainline kernels has some of the old 3.x functionality reverse engineered open sourced and the features are pretty functional but not all of it.

i've used the 5.59 ubuntu stretch (mainline kernel 4.14.65 image for orange pi pc and do note that it is a cli (command line based) image

HDMI works for me in 5.59 Ubuntu Stretch mainline image, connect a usb keyboard and mouse to work on it like a PC

i'm not too sure if the Orange Pi PC you have bought a year back is after all the same as that i bought just recently, but based on the specs i think it should be pretty much the same. I'm not too sure if things may have changed between the year. If things are the same, install the image on a new (or different) SD card

(i work in linux and simply did

dd if=Armbian_5.59_Orangepipc_Debian_stretch_next_4.14.65.img of=/dev/<the sdcard device> bs=1m

to write the image to the sd card.

and boot that on the Orange Pi PC, it should boot and should leave you on the command prompt in HDMI asking you to logon. be a little careful with the initial password changes as you would need the new changed passwords after the initial logon and user creation. i made some mistakes and got locked out initially.

 

ssh needs to be setup anew as the os is reinstalled. i think if you are used to access the sbc as orangepipc.local. you may find that ping etc didn't turn up orangepipc.local.

i found out that that is mainly because avahi-daemon (i.e. mdns) is not installed on the orange pi pc. what i did is to do apt-cache search avahi on the sbc and install the avahi-daemon (e.g. apt-get install avahi-daemon) and subsequently i'm able to ping my board as orangepipc.local connected on the ethernet. i'm not using any wireless dongle.

after that ping and ssh to the hostname orangepipc.local works.

 

if you want to install the desktop, you need to run the commands:

- apt-get upgrade armbian-config

followed by

- armbian-config as root

and there is an option to install the desktop

 

Note that a new image Armbian 5.60 may be released soon, if you want that earlier, you could run apt-get upgrade armbian-config followed by armbian-config and switch to the nightly build

 

if things are still not working for you, you may want to fall back to the Xenial 3.4 image instead, as you have mentioned it seem to work well for you
 

i won't be able to help much with the wifi dongle but in armbian-config i think there is something like install/upgrade firmware package. i found that the 'firmware package' distribute quite a number of blobs and some of it seem to be related to wifi  chips. you could try that to see if it helps. and this is for the stretch image and i'm using the nightly builds

[matrasa]

ag123, image with 3.4 kernel works well, but it not support my wifi usb adapter. That old image, downloaded a year/half of year ago, have kernel never than 3.4 but works very well. Sad, but seems there is no archive for old OS images. And I doesn't save that old image, that works perfect.

[chwe]

13 hours ago, matrasa said:

Sad, but seems there is no archive for old OS images. And I doesn't save that old image, that works perfect.

well with the amount of boards armbian supports, providing old images would probably mean that @Igor needs something like this:

 

 

 

besides that we then had to support those old images too.. Something nobody wants to do..  

so now back to topic. A way which should work:

• format your SD card
• test it with h2testw (windows) or f3 (linux)
• burn it with etcher (current orange pi pc image should work https://github.com/armbian/testings/blob/master/orangepipc-next.report)
• stick it via ethernet cable to your router and ssh into it
• download headers
• search somewhere for a driver for your wifi usb stick
• try to build this driver

On 9/25/2018 at 6:55 PM, matrasa said:

A year ago, I buy my Orange Pi PC,

and just once again.. It is an OrangePi PC and not an OrangePi PC+ right? Just to ensure you downloaded the right image. 

 

if your card reports no errors with f3 and h2testw you might have a look into the powering of your board.

 

23 hours ago, ag123 said:

(i work in linux and simply did

dd if=Armbian_5.59_Orangepipc_Debian_stretch_next_4.14.65.img of=/dev/<the sdcard device> bs=1m

to write the image to the sd card.

there are reasons why we suggest etcher and not dd... Debug issues cause 'dd gone wrong' is a waste of time..  

 

[ag123]

47 minutes ago, chwe said:

 

there are reasons why we suggest etcher and not dd... Debug issues cause 'dd gone wrong' is a waste of time..  

 

oh well, i didn't realise this rather nice tool exists, i guess i've been pretty old school as before i get to know armbian, many things used to be you are on your own, and dd is one of the tools that's just there

https://etcher.io/

 

[matrasa]

I flash old image with 3.4 kernel. And after that, install new kernel on it. And it works well, and my wifi device too.